This homemade crock pot chili is the perfect hearty soup recipe for slow cooker comfort foods, family dinner recipes, or make-and-take football foods for game day, tailgating party recipes or as an easy recipe addition to your chili bar.
You can make this slow cooker chili with beans or without beans to your personal taste. Don’t miss the chili toppings ideas, too!
Easy Crock Pot Chili Recipe
TIME SAVER RECIPE TIP: I like to fry a large batch of ground beef ahead of time and portion and freeze it for soups, stews, and dinner recipes. When I’m ready to make chili or other ground beef recipes, I just pull one of the freezer. It’s a huge time saver for recipes!
Ingredients for Chili in the Crockpot
To make this chili recipe, you’ll need:
- Ground beef
- Diced tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Beans (optional)
- Salt
- Pepper
Get the free printable recipe card below with step-by-step recipe instructions.

What do people like to put on their chili?
Favorite chili toppings are really a matter of personal preference, from creamy & dairy toppings to fresh & zesty toppings.
Ideas for the best chili toppings:
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese (cheddar cheese or a Mexican cheese blend)
- White onions
- Jalapenos
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Diced green onions
- Red pickled onions
- Chopped cilantro
- Beans
- Pickled peppers
- Hot sauce

Sides for Chili:
- Saltine crackers
- Club crackers
- Cornbread
- Oyster crackers
- Tortilla chips or tortilla strips
- Frito chips (Scoops work really well!)
Or, make a chili toppings bar and put out a variety of toppings for people to garnish chili on their own!
Free Printable Recipe for Crockpot Chili
This chili recipe is easy to double for a crowd if you’re making it for a chili bar or for party foods buffet!
MORE SLOW COOKER SOUPS TO TRY NEXT:

Best Crock Pot Chili
Equipment
- 1 6-quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 large white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 30-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis (like Rotel) with juice
- 1 15-ounce can plain tomato sauce
Instructions
- Add a small amount of olive oil to a large skillet. Over medium-high heat, sautee onion and garlic until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add ground beef to skillet and cook ground beef until done, breaking apart large pieces as it cooks.
- To the beef mixture, add cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir until coated. Using a slotted spoon to drain the grease, transfer the meat, onions & garlic to the slow cooker.
- Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the ground beef mixture in the slow cooker.* Stir to combine.
- Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Serve hot from the crockpot in bowls with optional toppings like shredded cheese, diced green onions, sliced fresh jalapenos, and sour cream, with a side of crackers, cornbread, or tortilla chips.
Notes
Nutrition Note
Nutrition calculations are approximate. If you're following a special diet, please calculate your own nutrition values.
I hope you enjoy this homemade crock pot chili recipe!


